“Where the hell are the vacation funds, huh?!” Svetka screamed at the top of her lungs, waving that damned empty box in front of her husband’s face as if she were about to smash it over his head.
The woman immediately understood everything. She pieced the facts together and drew a conclusion: she and her daughter wouldn’t be going on their long-awaited vacation, and her mother-in-law had started renovating her apartment. Was there any need to search for more reasons?
“No way! This won’t happen. I’ll handle everything my own way!” she thought.
And it all started like this.
“Svetochka, I was thinking of moving in with you for a couple of weeks, maybe three, is that okay? I hope I’m not imposing,” her mother-in-law, Anna Petrovna, called.
“Of course. What happened?” Svetka asked.
She preferred to stay on friendly terms with her mother-in-law and always spoke to her amicably, especially since there had been no reason for conflict so far.
“Oh, I finally decided to renovate the kitchen. You saw for yourself—it was long overdue,” Anna Petrovna began. “And now I’ve got some money, found good furniture, compact and reasonably priced. I figured I’d also refresh the walls and update the appliances. After all, the kitchen is the most important place in a woman’s apartment. Am I right?”
“Of course. Renovations are necessary but very troublesome. I understand. Move in, stay as long as you like. I don’t mind. Especially since we’ll be on vacation soon—by the sea. I’ve already booked the accommodation,” Svetka shared her joy. “You can have the place to yourself while we’re gone.”
“Alright, then it’s settled. I’ll move in next week.”
That evening, Svetka informed her husband of the news.
“You know, Anna Petrovna wants to stay with us; she called today. She’s starting renovations. Were you aware?”
“Of course. I’m the one who found her the crew. They worked for friends—everything went well, no complaints. And I invited my mom too. How could she live without a kitchen? She wouldn’t be able to cook or eat properly. Not even have a proper cup of tea,” Denis replied.
“I see. And where did she get the money, if it’s not a secret? Did she take a loan? Furniture and appliances aren’t cheap. We still haven’t gotten around to our own renovations, and we could really use updates in the living room and kitchen too.”
“Svet, my mother has been planning this renovation for years. She prepared, saved, and set aside some money. I’m surprised you’re asking about it.”
“Well, alright. Not my business. If she has the money, let her do whatever she wants.”
That ended the conversation.
The next day, Svetka decided to buy new outfits for herself and her daughter for the seaside vacation. Swimsuits, hats, sundresses, and dresses—everything a girl or woman needs for a holiday. It was a day off, so she and her ten-year-old daughter Arishka went shopping.
Svetlana had recently received her long-awaited vacation pay and decided it was time to spend it wisely for the upcoming trip.
“Denis, are you coming with us?” she asked her husband.
“No, I’ve got work. Where are you going?”
“We’re going to shop for new clothes for the trip. Do you need anything? We’ll get you something too, right, Arin?”
“Yes, Dad! We’ll buy everything for you! You want to look good at the beach too!” the daughter said.
“The beach…” Denis hesitated, giving his wife a strange look, as if he wanted to say something but couldn’t. Then he answered indifferently:
“No, I don’t need anything. I have everything.”
That evening, Svetlana and Arina, tired but happy, showed Denis their purchases.
“Dad, look at my pretty sun hat, see my shorts? And the matching top. Look how well they go together! And here’s a sundress. Now I’ll be the prettiest girl at the beach. Right? Hooray!” the girl twirled in front of the mirror, showing her father outfit after outfit.
“You’re very beautiful, my princess,” Denis said, not very cheerfully. “And it all suits you perfectly.”
Svetlana felt for the second time that day that her husband was acting strangely. Anxiety began to rise in her heart. An outsider might not have noticed anything, but she knew her husband well and sensed something was wrong.
“Denis, are you feeling okay?” Svetka asked.
“Yes, why?” he muttered irritably.
“Don’t you want to tell me something? I think it’s time.”
“What do you mean? Stop speaking in riddles! What do you want?” he asked sharply.
Denis was nervous. Svetka no longer doubted that something had happened. She stopped pressing him for answers, realizing it was useless. She went to prepare dinner, all the while feverishly thinking about what could be going on.
At one point, she even considered calling Anna Petrovna to find out if she knew what was wrong with her son, hoping she might shed light on his strange behavior. The excitement and joy from the upcoming trip and the new fashionable purchases had completely vanished. Her thoughts were consumed with worry.
Then a sudden realization hit her, and everything became clear.
Of course! She needed to check if the money they had been saving all year for their vacation—the money meant to fulfill a long-held dream and a promise to their daughter to take her to the sea—was still there.
Svetka had bought a beautiful box specifically for this purpose, intending for them to deposit the vacation funds in it, little by little, one bill at a time, every month. It was a ritual—each salary, Svetka and Denis would withdraw their contribution and place it in this magical box.
Then, together, they would count the money, rejoice, joke, and dream. And of course, they would calculate how much more they needed to save to make the vacation perfect.
Svetka was shocked—the box was empty! Not a single ruble.
So that was the reason for her husband’s strange behavior. That was how he had decided to handle their money, the dream that had warmed the whole family for months.
Svetka approached Denis.
“What is this? Where is our vacation money?” she asked in a metallic voice, shaking the empty box in front of him.
“Svet… I wanted to tell you… Honestly, I did.”
“Well, say it then!”
“You see, Mom asked me… I couldn’t refuse her. I just couldn’t…”
“You said she had saved up! On her own! I even asked you about it! I specifically checked to make sure everything was in order.”
“Yes, she had money. But when we started calculating the cost of the kitchen and the built-in appliances, it turned out to be twice as expensive as the amount Mom had planned for.”
“So what? You should have found something cheaper if it wasn’t enough!”
“You see, she was very upset. Really… I thought, I’ll just lend her the money. After all, she’s family. How many joys does she have left in her life? And she got so excited, dreamed so much about this kitchen…”
“And what about us? Our trip to the sea? Our promise to Arina? Or does that not matter? Should we just tolerate everything? Huh?”
Svetlana was furious. She wanted to hit her husband. But she had never raised a hand to anyone in her life. So now she simply cried, overwhelmed by hurt and helplessness.
“Don’t cry, Svet. Mom will gradually repay the loan. Next year we’ll go, save a little more, and we’ll definitely go. It’s not like it’s urgent,” Denis said.
“No, Denis! No! This won’t do. My daughter and I are going now. I’ll find the money somehow—borrow it, manage it, whatever—but we’re going. Because I don’t want to look foolish or ridiculous in front of my child. And I can’t explain to her why your mother’s whims and desires mattered more to you than keeping a promise to your daughter.”
Svetka borrowed money from her colleagues, and a week later she and her daughter flew to the seaside. Their pre-booked apartment awaited them.
Denis stayed home. He had to supervise the renovation at his mother’s apartment. And he also needed to find temporary work during the vacation—he’d have to repay his wife’s loan. His own fault.
It’s hard to please everyone, and sometimes it’s impossible.
